


Lost and found

by Fantasticoncer



Series: Our magical family [3]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Credence Barebone Lives, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Good Original Percival Graves, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mary lou isn't abusive, Out of Character, Parent Original Percival Graves, Protective Original Percival Graves, Protective Tina Goldstein
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-10
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 14:06:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15642288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasticoncer/pseuds/Fantasticoncer
Summary: "He had failed her. She was his to protect and he had failed."Modesty and Credence were actually Percival's children. After the situation with Grindelwald, Modesty has gone missing. Everyone is worried sick and Percival is losing his mind. Will she be found?





	1. Lost

 Disclaimer: I don't own fantastic beasts and where to find them. 

_January 1927_

Percival Graves was sitting on his hospital bed, looking at several maps of New York in desperation. His son was sitting next to him, helping the best he could. It had been about two weeks since Grindelwald, but not everything was back to normal. Percival had just woken up a few days ago and was supposed to take it slow and take a lot of rest. But how was he supposed to do that, when his daughter had gone missing? He sighed, resting his face in his hands and thinking about how he got to this moment.

He had adopted Modesty and Credence several years ago, at the insistence of Queenie Goldstein. At first, he hadn't been sure if starting a family was a good idea for him. After all, his work was quite dangerous and he was always very busy with it. It wasn't until he had read their files and about their pasts, when he had learned that they had been abused for having magic, for something that was out of their control. It wasn't until then, that he made his decision and adopted them. He knew that they had suffered enough and vowed that he would look after them to the best of his abilities.

He kept the adoption a secret from almost all of his colleagues. The lesser amount of people who knew, the safer his children were. Sure, some people noticed how much more eager he was to go home at the end of the day, rather than staying behind and finishing paperwork, but so were they and they were happy that he finally was acting like a normal human being, so they didn't ask about it.

The only people who knew were: the President of MACUSA and his best friend: Seraphina Picquery, Queenie and her sister Tina. With him being a single father, the three women quickly became the aunt/mother figures that his children needed, with the Goldstein sisters becoming his children's godmothers. Especially Queenie dove into the new role happily, looking after the two of them during the day, while Percival was working.

Modesty and Credence had managed to worm their way into his heart very quickly and he loved them like they were his own. He really enjoyed being a father. Percival helped Modesty with harnessing her magic, before she would go to Ilvermorny in a few years and once he had found out that Credence was an obscurial, he had helped his son with controlling his powers as much as he could. Thanks to his lessons, Credence could now control his powers, unless he was really upset. It was not perfect and Percival knew that his son would very likely succumb to his condition one day, but he would do his best to keep that day as far away as possible.

Being a father had also changed his perspective on his work. Now that he had two people that were depending on him more than anyone, he had tried to make sure his missions were as quick and safe as possible. Something that was a little easier, because the president _knew_ why it was so important to him that his missions were like that and helped as much as she could without anyone noticing. He didn't want to leave his children behind. They had already gone through so much pain. He didn't want to add even more by leaving them behind for good. Some of his aurors had noticed the change in behaviour, but had brushed it off as him becoming older (He still was a bit grumpy about that.)

Seraphina did her best to make sure that he could go home every evening. She gave him a warning, when a longer mission was needed. This way, he could prepare and tell his children that they were staying the night with Queenie. The first time that it happened, Modesty had been a nervous wreck, worrying about him all night long, not even Queenie could calm her down. When Percival had returned the next day, his daughter had refused to let him go for five full minutes. Luckily, his children were quite used to it by now, but they were always very glad when he returned home safely.

The evenings that he could go home after a day at work, had quickly become his favourite part of the day. Once, evenings were him just sitting at his lonely desk at MACUSA with several cups of hot coffee, filling out mountains of paperwork all alone, while everyone else had already gone home. Now, evenings were him listening to his daughter's exited tales about what they had done that day with "auntie Queenie" with a soft smile and eating a healthy dinner with his children. Credence would make a comment every now and then, but it was mostly Modesty telling the story.

After dinner, his children would help him with the dishes. Once that was done, they would go to the living room, where he would do some of the paperwork, while his children would read a book, knowing that they couldn't disturb him for a while. Their soft voices in the background every now and again as they talked to each other were a nice contrast to the absolute silence of the empty halls of MACUSA. After completing half of the paperwork, Percival would join them again and they would play a small game, just enjoying each other's company. 

At 8:00 PM, he would send his daughter to the bathroom to wash up and brush her teeth, having her in bed and ready to go to sleep in less than half an hour. He would tuck her in and kiss her goodnight, sometimes softly sing a lullaby that he remembered from his mother whenever his little girl felt restless and couldn't sleep, before going back downstairs to finish the paperwork and talk with Credence about his day, his son really helping him with reading the paperwork. Credence would go to bed at 10:00 PM and he would usually follow an hour later, a big difference from the days where he got home in the early hours of the morning or not at all, having fallen asleep at his desk.

Needless to say that when he woke up in the morning, he felt better than he ever had in his entire life. Sharing breakfast with his half-asleep children, instead of a quick bite of whatever was available, before going back to work, also helped. At 7:00, he would go to the Goldstein residence to drop off his children (the landlady having made a small exception for him, knowing that he was there for just a few minutes, before leaving and having met Modesty, deeming her "very adorable"). After hugging his children goodbye, he and Tina would go to work together, with him already counting the hours until he could go home. Life was good, but it was not to last

When they had heard about Grindelwald escaping in Europe and having heard rumours that he was heading for America, the very first thought on Percival's mind had been his children's safety. Despite the fact that Tina and Queenie were his children's godmothers, they had all agreed on the fact that it was safer for the two if they left the wizarding world completely. Percival had quickly reached out to an old friend of his: Mary Lou Barebone, a squib who lived in Boston with her daughter. After hearing of the situation, the woman didn't hesitate to say yes and quickly moved to New York.

He still remembered his daughter's face when he had to say goodbye to her and her brother, leaving them with people, who they didn't know. She had tried to stay strong, but her scared, tearful eyes had betrayed her.

\------------------ _flashback------------------_

_"Please, don't go, daddy." His nine year old daughter pleaded, looking up at him and clutching onto his left hand. Mary Lou and her daughter were in another room, giving the small family some privacy. He sighed deeply, kneeling in front of her and pulling her into his arms. "I'm sorry, my sweet girl, but I have to. Grindelwald is very dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt. You and your brother are the most important people in my life and I want you to stay safe." He whispered, kissing her temple._

_His daughter hugged him back tightly, her shoulders slowly starting to shake. Percival noticed it and started to rock her back and forth. "Ssshhh. It's alright, Modesty. We'll be together again very soon, I promise. Please, don't cry, sweetheart." He felt his daughter calm down a bit, her sobs slowly turning into hiccups, but he still held her tightly to his chest, calmly stroking her hair._

_He pulled back a bit, cupping his daughter's face and wiping her tears away._ _"Now, I need you to be very strong, until we see each other again. Can you do that for me?" He asked her. Wiping her nose with her hand, Modesty nodded shakily. Percival kissed her forehead, closing his eyes tightly for a second. He knew that, despite his promise, there was a chance that he would never see her again. Pulling back again, he smiled at her._

 _"I love you so much, my little swan." He whispered, conjuring up a plush swan and giving it to her. "It was supposed to be your Christmas_ _present, but I guess now is a good time too." He said. She grabbed it and smiled at it, before looking back at him. "Promise that you'll come back before Christmas." She said, looking at him with begging eyes. Christmas had always been something that they did with just the three of them._

 _She didn't want to spend Christmas with people that she barely knew._ _Her father sighed, knowing that he couldn't promise that, but not wanting to break her heart. "I'll do my best, my little swan." He said, cupping her face. Modesty seemed to realise that that was the best answer that she could get, so she simply nodded and smiled shakily at him, holding her new swan tightly to her chest. He smiled back, caressing her cheek one last time, before finally standing up._

_He walked towards his son. "Look after your sister for me, alright? Even if I don't come back" He asked softly, not wanting his daughter to hear them. Credence nodded, his own eyes looking watery as well. Percival quickly hugged him too. "I'm so proud of you, my boy and I love you so much." He whispered. Credence hugged him back, not wanting to let go. Percival finally pulled back and cupped his son's face for a few seconds, their foreheads touching._

_He wiped away Credence's tears, smiling softly at him, trying to reassure him that everything would be alright. Credence smiled back shakily. "Please come back, dad. We wouldn't know what to do without you" He begged, looking at his father. Percival sighed. "I will do my best. And if anything happens, the Goldstein sisters will take care of you and Modesty, but let's hope that it will never be necessary." He said. Credence nodded and hugged him again. Percival held his son tightly against him, despite Credence being a tiny bit taller. After a few seconds, Percival finally let go of him and started to walk towards the door._

_Close to the door, he turned back again, looking at his son and daughter. "I love you, my beautiful children. Never forget that." He told them, trying to smile, but failing. Credence tried to smile too, but Modesty launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I love you too, daddy." She whispered. He kneeled again and held her close, burying his face in her hair. Credence quickly joined them on the floor. Percival held his children as tightly as he could, his own tears in his eyes._

_He whispered soft words into their ears, telling them that he loved them and that everything would be alright. He gave them both one final kiss on the forehead, before finally standing up and walking towards the door again. At the door, he turned back one last time. He looked at his children and gave them one final smile, silently telling them how much he loved them. After that, he walked out and disapparated, the sound of his daughter's sobs breaking his heart even further._

_\---------------- end flashback ------------------------_

With pain in his heart, he had removed every single piece of evidence that there had been other inhabitants in his home, giving the most important things to Queenie and Tina for safekeeping. It had hurt to do it, but his children were safe and that was worth everthing. Once everything was over, they would go on a nice, long vacation, just the three of them. His children truly deserved that much, especially after all of this. That night he went to bed in a house that was way too quiet and empty, missing his children so much that it hurt. 

He and Credence met up once every week after dark. They had used a changing code to make sure the other was real. Percival would put up a spell that made sure that no one could hear what they were saying. After a couple of times, Credence had slipped him a piece of paper and told him to open it at home. He had done so, revealing it to be a mini drawing that Modesty had made. Underneath the drawing were the very simple words: _I love you, daddy._  He had smiled at it sadly, now missing his daughter even more and wishing that she and Credence were back home, where they belonged. A few days later, everything had gone to hell.

Grindelwald had infiltrated his home, after having followed him for weeks and there had been a massive duel. During the duel, Percival had noticed his daughter's drawing still lying folded up on the mantle. Once he had managed to knock Grindelwald back for a few seconds, he had destroyed the paper with a spell that burned it to ash. Shortly after that, he was defeated and made prisoner in his own home.

Grindelwald had tortured him for hours on end, wanting to know what was on the piece of paper, but Percival hadn't told him. He would never put his children into danger. He would never betray them, no matter what the other wizard did to him. Finally giving up on getting the answer out of him, Grindelwald had taken some of his hair to use it in polyjuice potion, leaving him for dead in the basement. 

Grindelwald had used his face to get into MACUSA and no one, not even Tina, Queenie or the president had noticed anything. Percival still felt a bit hurt that even the people who he considered friends hadn't noticed a thing, but he could also understand it. Because his children were living with Mary Lou, he didn't have to go to Goldstein residence anymore and Grindelwald was an excellent occlumens, preventing Queenie from finding out his true identity. He was also a very good actor, apparently, considering that Seraphina had not noticed anything either.

Grindelwald had also gone to meet Credence, very curious about their meetings. Luckily, Credence was not as easily fooled as the others. The minute "Percival" had failed to use that week's code, Credence had known that the man in front of him wasn't his father. Unable to do anything, Credence had played along, making sure not to look the dark wizard in the eye, Percival having taught that to his children as soon as they had been adopted. Once the impostor was gone, Credence had literally run all the way to the home of Tina and Queenie, using his powers to get into the apartment without anyone noticing. 

Tina and Queenie had been horrified to learn that the man wasn't Percival and had quickly warned Seraphina. The next day, the three of them, plus Credence, had come together in secret. They had debated long and hard over what to do. They finally decided that they had no choice, but to play along with the game. If Grindelwald found out that they knew, Percival would be in even more danger The three women would pretend to not know anything and Credence would try to get more information, even though it was very dangerous.

The women had winced at the thought of Percival finding out about the plan, knowing how protective he was of his children. To make sure that Grindelwald didn't suspect anything, they had staged an "incident" between Tina and Mary Lou, ensuring that Tina would be (temporarily) demoted. After every meeting between him and "Percival", Credence would go to Tina and Queenie to tell them every single detail (they would leave the window open after Credence accidentally broke it, that first time.)

When Credence had found out what Grindelwald wanted, he had been very unamused. The man wanted to find the Obscurial.... with the help from the Obscurial. Percival was far more relieved than exasperated that the dark wizard hadn't figured out who the obscurial really was, instead thinking that Credence was nothing more than a powerless squib. It was that stupidity, however, that had brought them to their current situation. Percival sighed again, looking back at the maps in front of him.

They had staged another attack, this time by Credence. Mary Lou and her daughter had pretended to die and allowed Credence to ravage the house. However, Grindelwald had gone after Modesty, thinking that SHE was the Obscurial, with the young girl being the right age and everything. Percival supposed that he would've made the same mistake if he hadn't known his children.

After being hit in the face by the man and seeing that his little sister was in danger, Credence had revealed himself and gone into a rage, losing control over his powers and destroying half of Manhattan. With the help of a newcomer named Newt, Tina had managed to calm him down enough to regain control. When the aurors came, Credence pretended to be destroyed, only to secretly fly back to where Modesty had been. But the young girl had disappeared.

A couple of days later, Percival had been found in the basement of his own home. When the man had woken up, Tina had been sitting next to his bed. The first thing that he had asked her, was if his children were safe. When she had told him that his daughter was missing, his world had collapsed. It was now a week later and still nothing. They still hadn't found her. HE hadn't found her. Not that he could do much, weak as he was. Tina and Queenie had been searching and he was stuck in a bed, unable to help the search for his little girl.

He hid his face in his hands, his emotions becoming too much to handle and began sobbing. He barely felt his son hugging him, as the self-guilt grew. What kind of a father was he? Modesty was missing and he couldn't even help look for her. He didn't know where his own daughter was. He had failed her. She was his to protect and he had failed. He couldn't stop Grindelwald from taking his identity and now he couldn't save and protect his daughter. Credence just held his father as the man cried out all the emotions of the past few weeks/months. He just hoped that his sister would be found soon. 


	2. Found

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After two weeks, Modesty is finally found

Disclaimer: I don't own fantastic beasts and where to find them.

_The next day._

Tina and Queenie walked out of the Woolworth building, ready to start looking for their missing "niece" again. Seeing their boss/friend so desperate and upset, broke their hearts. They apparated to a part of New York, close to where Credence had transformed. They were just walking past a square, when Queenie suddenly stopped. Tina stopped too and looked at her in confusion. Queenie turned towards the square and walked towards it, her sister following.

There were a couple of girls playing on the square, having a pretend tea party. One of them looked very familiar. "Modesty!?" Queenie called. The girl turned around, stood up, and started running towards them at top speed. "Auntie Queenie! Auntie Tina! You found me!" Modesty yelled, almost tackling them into a hug. Both Queenie and Tina hugged her back, feeling relieved. "Are you her family?" Tina heard a voice ask.

She looked up and saw a man with brown hair and blue eyes looking at them, the other girl was standing next to him. The both of them were wearing clothing that were clearly second hand. Modesty was wearing clothing that was a few sizes too big. Whoever they were, it was clear that they didn't have a lot of money. Tina stood up and looked at the man "Uhm, yes. I'm her aunt." She said, smiling nervously. The man frowned at her.

"Then may I ask what a young child was doing in the middle of the night, in _December_ , wearing nothing but her nightgown?" He asked, sounding quite angry. He had found her in the rubble of a destroyed house in the middle of the night, looking lost and scared. He had quickly taken her in, before people with less noble intentions could do so and before she could get a cold. They had been trying to find her family, but no such luck.

Modesty had been very reluctant to tell him what her last name was, much to his frustration. But now, they apparently had finally found her family. Tina winced, wondering how to explain the situation. "Well, you see sir. Her father is in the hospital, because an insane man had kidnapped him. That same man went to attack her home in the night. She escaped and that's how she ended up like that." Tina explained. She wasn't even really lying. 

The man looked a bit less angry. "Doesn't she have a mother?" He asked. Tina shook her head. "No sir, but we have taken the man into custody and have been trying to find her for the past two weeks." Modesty had looked up when she heard that her father was in the hospital. "Is daddy alright?" She asked, looking worried. She had been scared that she would never see him again, despite his promise. She was young, but she could understand that her father had been in grave danger.

Tina nodded, smiling at the girl. "Yes, sweetie. He's recovering in the hospital and has been worried sick about you." Modesty smiled, starting to jump up and down. She really wanted to see him.The man looked more sympathetic now. "Well, I'm glad that she has found her family. Will you be alright from here?"  He asked. Tina nodded, thanking him for his help. The man smiled and nodded, before turning towards the young girl that he had saved.

"Modesty, be good for your family, alright?" He asked. Modesty happily nodded and gave him a hug. "I will. Thank you, mister Jefferson." Modesty said, hugging the other girl as well. The man, Jefferson smiled at her and nodded at Queenie and Tina, before turning around. "Come on, Grace. Time to go home. Modesty has found her family now." He called. The other girl waved happily at Modesty. "See you soon, Modesty." She said, before quickly following her father. 

Tina turned towards Modesty. "Do I have to..." She trailed off, her question clear. Modesty shook her head. "No. He has magic too. We both felt it in each other, which is why he helped me." Tina and Queenie looked at each other in surprise. They didn't know that Modesty could sense magic. "Can we go now? I really want to see daddy." Modesty said, feeling a bit impatient. She wanted to see her father. Both women nodded and apparated to the magical hospital.

After checking in at the reception, they led the girl towards the right room. Queenie peeked inside the room and saw Percival fast asleep. Credence was nowhere to be found. She supposed that Percival had forced him to go home and rest. She smiled, knowing that the two men would be ecstatic to find out that the youngest member of their family had been found. With a soft push from Queenie, Modesty walked into the room.

Upon finally seeing her beloved father after so long, her eyes filled with tears and she walked towards the side of the bed, peering at her father's face in worry. "Is he alright?" She asked in a soft tone, reaching out and caressing his cheek like her father had always done with her. He was a lot paler than she remembered. He was also very thin, _too_ thin. Queenie and Tina smiled. The girl had been missing for the past two weeks and yet SHE was worried about her father.

"Grindelwald hurt him badly, honey, but he is on the mend and I'm sure that he will feel better, once he sees and knows that you are safe." Queenie reassured her. Modesty nodded, grabbing her father's hand with both of hers and holding it tightly. "We'll be outside if you need us." Tina told her and the two sisters left the room. Left alone, Modesty turned towards Percival's still form. To see her father this pale and weak, frightened her to the core.

She cursed Grindelwald in her head, calling him several things that she actually shouldn't know yet. If Percival had heard her, he would have scolded her for hours. "I'm here, daddy. I'm back. Wake up, please. I'm here. I've come back. Wake up." She begged. As if hearing his daughter's voice in his unconscious state, Percival slowly began to stir. His grip tightened and loosened on her hand and he groaned loudly.

After quite a few seconds, his eyes finally opened tiredly. Percival looked around the room in a daze, before his eyes finally fell on his daughter. He looked at her for several seconds, unable to believe his eyes. "Modesty? My little girl?" He asked with a hoarse voice, looking at her in shock and hope, mentally wondering if he was dreaming. Modesty started to cry, tightening her grip on his hand, holding it against her cheek.

"Daddy..." She whispered, unable to say more past the lump in her throat. Percival's eyes teared up. He softly pulled his hand back, making sure that he kept in contact with his daughter, still not really sure if this was real, before cuppping her face. Caressing her cheek, he finally knew that this was not a dream. She was real. She was there. She was safe. "My little swan. You're back." He whispered, pulling her head closer to give her a kiss on her forehead.

Pulling back, he smiled at her, before trying to get up. Modesty quickly helped, despite not knowing if her father should sit up. Once he was in a better position, Percival looked over his daughter critically. She looked healthy and clean, much to his relief. Her clothes were too big, but that was alright. She was safe and that was all that mattered. Finally, he scooted over a bit and Modesty climbed on the bed, sitting down next to him.

Percival hugged her as close as possible. He had his little girl back. Pulling back, he cupped her cheek again, looking at her sternly. "Where were you, Modesty? We were worried sick about you." He asked her. He needed to know where his daughter had been. Modesty looked down,resting her head on his shoulder, mindful of his injuries. "After Credence turned, I was found by a really kind man named Jefferson." She said

"He has magic too and he took me in. He has been taking care of me for the past two weeks." She told him. Percival looked at his daughter. He was happy that she had been safe, but he could tell that something was going on. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" He asked her, stroking her hair. She looked up at him, a bit of sadness in her eyes. "Mr Jefferson had barely enough money to support him and his daughter, yet he still took me in. I just wish that I could help him, as a thank you."

Percival smiled and kissed her forehead."We will find something. I promise." He whispered, burying his face in her hair.He would think of something to help the man, who had taken care of his daughter. Modesty hugged him back. "The bad man was scary, though." He heard her mutter. He immediately tensed, remembering that Grindelwald had thought HER to be the Obscurial. He pulled back, looking over her frantically.

"Did he do anything? Did he hurt you?" He asked in parental concern. If Grindelwald had laid one finger on her...Modesty quickly shook her head, grabbing his hand to calm him down. "No he didn't. He _did_  try to act all sweet and caring, telling me to come out of my hiding spot. He looked like you, but he really wasn't you. He just felt all wrong. I didn't trust him. I also didn't look him in the eyes." She told him.

He sighed and smiled at her. "That's my girl. I'm so proud of you." She gave him a smile, before looking down and resting her head on his shoulder again.After a few seconds, she spoke up again "It was really scary, though. I wanted you back, but you were gone and then Credence turned and I was alone. I was so scared" She whispered, tears in her eyes. Percival closed his eyes and hugged his daughter tightly, guilt flooding through him. He had let her and her brother go to keep them safe and they had still been in danger.

Grindelwald had come close to both his children and he had been powerless to stop him. As if feeling his guilt,  Modesty's grip tightened. "It's alright, daddy. You did your best to protect us." She said. Percival sighed, pulling back and cupping his daughter's face. "I know, but he still got close to both you and your brother. I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to either of you. It's my duty to protect you and I failed at that." He whispered.

Percival sighed deeply, thinking about the fear that he had gone through in the last few weeks. "He got so close to finding out that you were mine. Then you went missing and the situation went from bad to worse." He said, hugging his daughter, tears rolling down his cheeks. He felt a small hand wiping them away. He pulled back and smiled at his daughter, kissing the palm of her hand. Modesty smiled back, before resting her head on his chest and hugging him.

They sat like that for a while, just holding onto each other. Suddenly, Modesty giggled, the sound echoing through the room. "His face when he realised that it was Credence was funny though." She said. He looked down at her with a soft smile. "Oh, really? What did he look like?" He asked, curiously. Modesty giggled again. "He looked like he realised that he made a big mistake and that he was in a lot of trouble." She told him. Percival chuckled at that, before hugging her again.

Suddenly Modesty spoke up once again. "Daddy..." He looked down at her. "What is it, sweetheart?" He asked, only to be very surprised as his daughter glared at him as well as a nine-year-old could. "You missed Christmas." She said in an accusing tone, scowling at him. Mr. Jefferson and Grace had been really nice, but she still had to spend Christmas with strangers, despite her father's promise that he would be back soon.

Percival thought for a minute and winced, realising that the holiday had indeed been a few weeks ago, just before he was found. "I'm so sorry, my little swan. I'll make it up to you. I promise." He said. Modesty scowled at him for another minute, before resting her head back on his shoulder. "You better. And don't you break this promise too." She muttered. He shook his head, holding her tightly.

"I won't. We'll have our own Christmas when I'm out of here, alright?" He asked. His young daughter sighed, but finally nodded and hugged him again. He smiled at that and kissed her hair, happy that she was not as angry anymore. Despite herself, Modesty smiled at the action. Her relief and happiness at being reunited with her father was bigger, than being angry at him for something that was out of his control. 

Percival slowly stroked Modesty's hair, the action calming both father and daughter. "I missed you so much, daddy." He heard her whisper. He smiled softly at that. "I missed you too, my beautiful girl. I love you so much." He whispered, kissing his daughter's temple again and just revelling in the fact that he finally had her back. He had been so scared that he would never see her again, that Grindelwald still had succeeded in taking one of his children away from him.

Now that he had Modesty back, he could finally put those fears to rest. The peaceful silence was interrupted when the door opened. "Hey dad, is everything...."  Credence trailed off as he saw his sister sitting next to their father. Modesty immediately pulled herself out of her father's arms, jumped off the bed and ran towards her brother as fast as she could. Credence didn't do anything, until Modesty literally slammed into him. He quickly wrapped his arms around his sister in a reflex.

Percival just looked at the two of them from his bed with a smile. His children. They were both finally safe and sound. Apparently, his son's brain had finally caught up to the situation, as he lifted his sister up and held her tightly, tears rolling over his cheeks. Credence muttered something to Modesty and she answered back. Percival was pretty sure that Credence had apologised for leaving her behind and that Modesty had forgiven him.

Carrying his sister, Credence walked towards the bed. Percival took Modesty over and put her back to where she was previously sitting on his left side, Credence quickly sitting down on his other side. Percival put his arms around his children, holding them both close for the first time in weeks. Tears of happiness and relief rolled over his cheeks and he knew that his children felt the same. He kissed both their heads, before holding them even closer. They were finally together again.

After several minutes, they all slowly fell asleep, one by one. They were absolutely exhausted after several dark weeks of fear and stress. They were back together and nothing would tear them apart ever again. This was what Tina walked in on. She hadn't heard anything for a while and carefully peeked inside to see what happened. She softly smiled at the sight of the small family asleep.

Percival was sitting upright in bed, both his arms tightly around his children, even in sleep and his head resting on his son's head. Credence was lying with his head on his father's shoulder, one arm around his father's shoulders and the other holding his sister's arm. Modesty had her face buried in her father's chest, both her arms around his waist. Tina conjured up her camera and quickly snapped a few pictures.

She smiled at the small family, before leaving them alone.Percival opened one eye as the door closed. He had woken up as soon as he had heard the door open. His children were here and he would not fail them again. He would protect them until his last breath. Modesty slightly changed position in her sleep and he smiled at her, carefully stroking her hair. He was happy that she had been safe during the last two weeks, thanks to this Mr Jefferson.

Leaning back slightly, he thought of the man, who had taken care of his daughter when he couldn't. According to his daughter, the man wasn't well off. He could also see that fact in Modesty's borrowed clothing. They were way too big. Percival looked down at his daughter again. He smiled, an idea forming in his head. He knew exactly how he could help Mr. Jefferson. A plan made, he tightened his grip on his children and fell back asleep, finally at peace. 

_Two weeks later..._

Jefferson and his daughter stepped inside the gigantic building that was the magical bank of America. They had gotten a missive from the goblins, telling them to come as quickly as possible. Jefferson was very worried. What if his vault was empty? How would he take care of his daughter if he was broke? It turned out to be quite the opposite.

Someone had donated five thousand galleons in his vault and would continue to do so, whenever the money would reach a certain minimum. As he was still processing this, the goblin gave him a letter from the person who donated the money. When they got back home, Jefferson sat down on the couch, his daughter right next to him and slowly opened the letter. 

_Dear Mr Jefferson_

_I wanted to thank you for taking care of my daughter when I was unable to do so. Modesty told me about how you helped her, despite not being well off. After the last few weeks, I know what it's like when you want to take care of your children, but are unable to. As you probably know from my friend Tina Goldstein, I was taken prisoner by a dark wizard, who then tried to hurt my son and daughter. Thanks to you, my little girl was safe when everything went crazy._

_From now on, you will never have to worry about money ever again. The goblins will take care of everything. Do not worry, I will not even miss the amount. My vaults have more than enough galleons to last more than a lifetime. See this as my thanks for helping my little girl. And no, I will not take it back, so do not even try. Also, my daughter has asked to stay in contact with Grace, so you will probably see another letter coming your way very soon._

_Yours sincerely_

_Percival Graves._

_Former Director of Magical Security._

Jefferson looked at the letter in shock. The girl that he helped was the daughter of Percival Graves? Grace was a little bit faster to process the letter and gave him a big hug, squealing all the way. He hugged her back, still unable to believe it. He would never have to worry about money again. From now on, he could really take care of his Grace. He could give her the life that she deserved. He smiled at his daughter.

Things truly were looking up for them now. As he tightly hugged his daughter, he thought of the things that he had  learned from the letter. Now that he thought about it, this _did_ explain Modesty's extreme reluctance to tell him her last name. After all, her father had, or used to have a very dangerous job, with a lot of enemies. They couldn't know that Percival Graves was a father and had a family.

It would bring Modesty and apparently her brother into danger. As a father, he knew that he would always protect his daughter and he had a very simple job. He could only imagine how the other man felt every day, worrying about his children and making sure that they were safe. He looked back at the letter, wondering what the other family was doing right now.

_Meanwhile._

Percival was standing in front of his new, three story house, his children on either side of him. After being kept prisoner in his old house, he didn't want to stay there, only to be reminded of all the pain and fear he had gone through. He had sold it and bought a new house in upstate New York. People at Gringotts had put up the best wards around the house, making it almost unable to find, unless you knew where it was.

Queenie, Tina and Seraphina were the only ones outside the family, who knew its location and they wouldn't be able to tell anyone, unless he had given them permission to do so. Percival had pulled out all the stops to make sure that his children would be as safe as possible. The situation with Grindelwald had truly opened his eyes. After all, it had been ridiculously easy for Grindelwald to break in

He had also resigned his position as director. During the weeks of being a prisoner, he had been so scared that he would never see his children again. Now that he was free, he wanted to spend every single day with them. He didn't want to waste any more time. His children needed him more than anything. Besides, he still had to make up for the Christmas that he had missed.

His family was an old one with a lot of vaults, so money would not be a problem. Queenie and Tina had gone the day before and put everything important in the right place. Stepping over the treshold, Percival immediately felt at home.He turned towards his children. "Well, this is our new home."  He said. Modesty smiled at him, holding the plush swan that he had given her. Mary Lou had found it and kept it for safekeeping, giving it back to Modesty after she was found.

"I like it already, but I want to look around too" She said, before grabbing her big brother and pulling him further into the house, ready to explore. Percival followed them after a few seconds with a smile. He found them looking around at the surroundings from the balcony. There was nothing, but trees and fields for miles.  He felt a small hand grabbing his and looked down at his daughter with a smile.

Modesty smiled back at him. "I really like it here, daddy." She said. Credence grabbed his other hand. "Me too." He agreed. Percival smiled at his children, putting an arm around them both. "I'm glad that you like it." He said, kissing the both of them on the top of their heads. Together, they simply enjoyed the view. "I'm happy that you're back, daddy."  He heard Modesty whisper. He smiled and hugged her closer. "I'm happy to be back, sweetheart."  He replied. The last few months had been dark and full of fear, but now they were finally safe and sound. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter. I might add some other chapters, like the vacation Percival mentioned, but the story is complete for now.
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.
> 
> P. S can anyone tell me who Modesty's helper is

**Author's Note:**

> A two shot to help me with writer's block. The next chapter will be up either tomorrow or the day after, before I go away for a few days. 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


End file.
